1. to make human in character or form; to cause to become human or human-like
Usage: formal; chiefly used in anthropology and evolutionary biology

Examples

• Scientists study the processes that hominized our primate ancestors over millions of years.
• The development of language helped hominize early human populations.
• Bipedalism was one of the key traits that began to hominize our species.
• Cultural practices gradually hominized the behavior of our evolutionary forebears.
• The use of tools played a crucial role in hominizing human ancestors.